Jan 172011
 

January 2011 looks to be a big month for cover albums, with big-name artists dropping new ones left and right. Perhaps everyone was waiting for the Christmas season to be over. Last month, non-holiday covers were a rare breed indeed. After umpteen “The First Noel” and “Last Christmas” covers though, some blues and rockabilly tunes prove as refreshing as a rum and coca cola.

Two discs we’re particularly excited about are now available to stream on NPR. First up, Gregg Allman (of the Allman Brothers, duh) returns to the basics on eleven classic blues tunes on Low Country Blues. T-Bone Burnett helms the production, and no one knows roots like T Bone.

Secondly, speaking of hotshot producers, “Queen of Rockabilly” Wanda Jackson has a good one up her sleeve: Jack White. Mr. Analog produces and plays on her new The Party Ain’t Over, released on his own Third Man Records. The title references Jackson’s biggest hit, “Let’s Have a Party.” On covers of Amy Winehouse, Jimmie Rodgers, and latter-day Bob Dylan, that party kicks hard as ever.

Find tracklists and links to listen to both below.

Listen: Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
01. Floating Bridge (Sleepy John Estes)
02. Little By Little (Junior Wells)
03. Devil Got My Woman (Skip James)
04. I Can’t Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters)
05. Blind Man (Bobby Bland)
06. Just Another Rider (original)
07. Please Accept My Love (B.B. King)
08. I Believe I’ll Go Back Home (Traditional)
09. Tears Tears Tears (Amos Milburn)
10. My Love is Your Love (Samuel Maghett)
11. Checking On My Baby (Otis Rush)
12. Rolling Stone (Traditional)

Listen: Wanda Jackson – The Party Ain’t Over
01. Shakin’ All Over (Johnny Kidd)
02. Rip It Up (Little Richards)
03. Busted (Johnny Cash)
04. Rum and Coca-Cola (The Andrews Sisters)
05. Thunder on the Mountain (Bob Dylan)
06. You Know I’m No Good (Amy Winehouse)
07. Like A Baby (Vikki Nelson)
08. Nervous Breakdown (Eddie Cochran)
09. Dust on the Bible (Johnny Bailes, Walter Bailes)
10. Teach Me Tonight (Sammy Cahn, Gene de Paul)
11. Blue Yodel #6 (Jimmie Rodgers)

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  2 Responses to “Listen to New Cover Albums by Gregg Allman and Wanda Jackson”

Comments (2)
  1. If one wants to get really nitpicky about it, Rip It Up is really a Little Richard cover, his version coming out a month before Haley’s.
    Busted was written by Harlan Howard but he was not a recording artist. Johnny Cash first recorded it in 1956, but one could argue that the best known version is by Ray Charles recorded shortly thereafter.
    Same with Jesse Stone, simply a songwriter. The original of Like a Baby was by Vikki Nelson, though also done by Elvis and James Brown.
    Nervous Breakdown, originally by Eddie Cochran.
    Teach Me Tonight, since it was written by Sammy Cahn, is in a class of what I like to refer to as Great American Standards. Covered so many times that it’s not really a cover. My favorite version, though, is by Blossom Dearie.

  2. Thanks for the info Alan! Thought Haley’s was first. Bet he was pissed when Richards beat him to the punch.

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